2009 Car Reveal

Raymond Ortiz89 Asks:
At the end of the day, these are still just testing sessions, aren't they? It makes you wonder where everyone else is hiding—where are the rest of the drivers? I was looking for the Ferrari guys specifically, but it seems like they're keeping a low profile for now. 😍

They’re out there trying to patch up those wings with nothing but some duct tape, and honestly, they’re just dropping parts all over the Mugello Circuit. Is anyone else seeing this? It looks like a total mess out there. 🤣🤣🤣

mistybear87 said:It’s honestly pathetic to watch—they’ve got this beautiful wing held together with nothing but some cheap duct tape, and now they’re just shedding parts all over the Mugello Circuit like they’re losing hair. 🤣🤣🤣

😠 Honestly, just based on the way you're talking, I can already see it happening—you’re going to spend the entire season completely blowing it because of that attitude.😠

Did you catch that Discovery documentary the other day about Williams? They were pulling out all the stops—showing everything from the inner workings of the factory and those high-security secret rooms to the owners, and even those massive pre-race hype sessions they put on for huge crowds of fans over in Russia. It was pretty intense.

I actually liked him, to be honest. You can tell just by looking at the guy that he’s a decent human being, though I can't help but wonder if he’s mostly just running on fumes and empty promises at this point. 👎

Raymond Ortiz89 said:😠 Honestly, just based on those words alone, you guys are going to end up ruining the entire season.😠

By the way, have you caught that Discovery documentary about Williams? They showed everything—the whole facility, the secret rooms, the owner, even those pre-race festivities in front of massive crowds in Russia.

I actually quite enjoyed it. He seems like a genuinely good guy, though you get the sense he hasn't had the easiest run of luck lately. 👎

I don't have a Discovery subscription, but I have a few things downloaded; maybe one of them is that one.

As for Frank, he’s a tough nut to crack. Don't worry too much; I suspect we'll still be seeing him around for years to come. 😉

mistybear87 said:Today's testing results from Austin show Williams looking convincingly strong 🙏 (though Red Bull Racing is testing with last year's car)

Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Lap time data Red Bull-Ferrari (B) 1:27.987 128
2. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:29.729 143
3. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:30.242 81
4. Glock Toyota (B) 1:30.878 63
5. Alonso Renault (B) 1:31.743 84

...it isn't quite accurate to say Williams is the best yet...👎
Williams and Toyota were running non-regulation cars. Given the type of machinery they were using—including those disallowed parts—it stands to reason they would show speed. However, once they actually assemble their cars according to the new regulations, we will see a completely different picture.☕

http://www.f1racing.com/index.php..._from=&ucat=2&

😁Man, I am loving this idea.🙏 I’m just hoping it applies to everyone else on the grid too—specifically, I hope it rains during every single race this season. 🙂

Obviously, if all my wishes come true, we already know who's taking home the championship. 👋

mistybear87 said:Today's testing results from Austin show Williams is crushing it 🙏 (Red Bull is running last year's car)

Lap time data
1. Buemi Red Bull-Ferrari (B) 1:27.987 128
2. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:29.729 143
3. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:30.242 81
4. Glock Toyota (B) 1:30.878 63
5. Alonso Renault (B) 1:31.743 84

Don't give me those numbers. Vettel wasn't even driving, so it doesn't count. 😬

But seriously, I think it’s high time Ferrari retires Kimi and finds someone fresh. Just look at the Mugello numbers:

Mugello Circuit - Italy 21 January 2009
Pos. Driver Team Tires Time Laps
1 F. Massa Ferrari Bridgestone 01:33.353 104

Mugello Circuit - Italy 20 January 2009
Pos. Driver Team Tires Time Laps
1 K. Räikkönen Ferrari Bridgestone 01:33.920 42

Mugello Circuit - Italy 19 January 2009
Pos. Driver Team Tires Time Laps
1 K. Räikkönen Ferrari Bridgestone 01:34.430 54

It's pretty obvious Massa is still way faster than Kimi.🙄

ironfalcon43 said:...it isn't quite right to say Williams is the best one out there...👎
Both Williams and Ford were running cars that weren't exactly "standard." When you have machines built with those kinds of non-compliant parts they were using, of course they’re going to be fast. But once they have to put together a car that actually follows the new regulations, we'll see a completely different story altogether...☕

But what exactly was irregular about their cars?
☕

ironfalcon43 said:...it's not actually true that Williams is the best one out there...👎
Williams and Ford were running irregular cars—with setups like that and those illegal parts they were using, obviously they're going to be fast. But once they sort out the car under the new regulations, it’s going to be a completely different story...☕

I'm curious too, especially since McLaren clocked the best time with yesterday's rear wing, and General Motors did it with a car that hasn't even cleared crash tests yet...

Look, these are just tests. If the teams feel like testing up cars from the 80s, they can—the legality of the cars doesn't even matter until qualifying starts...

mistybear87 said:I mean, what exactly was illegal about their cars? ☕

Look, honestly, almost every car on the grid is stuck in this weird limbo between the 2008 specs and the new 2009 rules, so you could argue they're all technically breaking the rules—it’s just a matter of how much they're pushing it, whether they're running last year's setups, some strange hybrid design, or if they've actually moved closer to the new regulations.👍😁

Arthur Doyle70 said:Look, mistybear87, most of these cars are basically stuck in some weird limbo between 2008 and 2009 specs. You could argue they're all illegal under the new rules, but the real question is how much they're actually leaning into the new regulations versus just running last year's setups or some half-baked hybrid configuration.👍 😁

What kind of nonsense are you people talking about? :-\

Everything we saw at testing was strictly 2009 spec. Even McLaren was running the 2009 rear wing yesterday. There aren't any "hybrids" left, except maybe Toro Rosso—but they don't have anything better to do until March anyway, so they're just burning through engine and tire tests since there's nothing else to work on. Every other car is legal, at least the ones out here testing plus Mercedes-Benz. Except for SF, of course. 😛

As for Ferrari, I don't think their exhaust is legal. That hole at the start of the nose is fine; the illegality was about that massive opening from last year that sucked air from under the nose straight up through the body.

Mercedes-Benz is 100% legal. Those openings they put in are right on the edge of the new spec limits (I can't be bothered to find the exact numbers right now, but I think it's 350mm from the centerline on each side). They also have holes on the upper part just behind the cockpit, which are probably for battery cooling. And honestly, saying Mercedes-Benz hasn't refined the car is just stupid... do you really think they're idiots who would spend three months testing a car without actually developing it?

Same goes for General Motors. Personally, I wouldn't pin my hopes on that nose design they're obsessing over. From what I know, Williams is way ahead on aero development because they were smart enough to save time by skipping KERS. Michael himself said aero is the most critical part of the car for 2009, so I expect a highly developed aero package from Williams this year (even if they messed it up in previous seasons), whereas General Motors and Renault have by far the most powerful CFD facilities in their factories. Is it just me, or is it weird that the two teams with the best CFD and the one team that started aero development early are all running those wide noses?

Also, General Motors and Mercedes-Benz are trying to get ground effect at the front using the nose, while Williams is attempting it via the wing itself (if you look closely, the Williams front wing is very flat, almost looking like it has a mini diffuser underneath it).

And one more thing: Ferrari doesn't have a split wing in that photo. It's just a cable for the variable wing taped to the surface. Yeah, I know, sounds like amateur hour, but it's obvious they're experimenting with variable wing tech.

Question for the rest of you: does anyone actually have the guts to mount the KERS batteries inside the nose? I heard a rumor that Ferrari tucked their batteries in the nose, but now they're struggling because the nose flexes too much at high speeds (someone showed a photo where the wing looks like it's practically touching the ground). But if they can fix the structural stiffness of that front wing, they'll have a massive advantage due to much better weight distribution than the rest of the grid.

I should probably stop coming here; might give me less to complain about. 🙂)

They definitely aren't running at full 2009 specs just yet... McLaren spent yesterday morning testing with the old 2008 rear wing setup, and it wasn't until the afternoon that Lewis actually got out there for a few laps using the complete 2009 specification—though, of course, they weren't utilizing KERS at all.

Here is a quick video from yesterday's testing session

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZN9Zdc8VDo

Half of them have these strange little periscopes mounted on them, so I don't think it makes much sense to start debating lap times right now.

Ferrari's exhaust design is almost certainly illegal—at least based on the car they showed off during the launch.😉

@ vividfalcon7 For this season, they're only allowing KERS on the rear axle, but starting next year, you can install it on the front too. I wonder if anyone has actually put that to the test yet...

John Bennett4 said:They definitely aren't running the full 2009 specs yet... McLaren spent yesterday morning running with that old 2008 rear wing, and it wasn't until the afternoon that Lewis actually got a few laps in with the complete 2009 setup, even without using the KERS.

Here’s a clip from yesterday's testing session

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZN9Zdc8VDo

Half of them have these weird little periscopes attached to the cars, so trying to draw any real conclusions about the actual performance right now is just a waste of breath.

And let's be real, Ferrari's exhaust setup is clearly illegal, at least based on how the car looked during the official launch. 😉

Of course... during this stage of testing, the cars are rarely—if ever—actually running to the final specifications they'll use next season.

Then you have those people who show up just to write an entire book about it, which is really just a fancy way of stating the obvious.🙂

John Bennett4 said:Half of them have some kind of ridiculous periscope setup installed, so honestly, there's really no point in even trying to have a debate about it at this stage.

Those "periscopes" you're referring to are actually just Pitot tubes, aren't they? They basically function by measuring the difference in pressure.
The data stream tells them exactly how fast the car is moving—which, if you recall, is also what that little digital display right in front of the driver shows him—but they can go so much deeper than that now. They’re actually able to compare the pressure differentials between the air flowing over the bodywork and the pressure right at the surface itself. I imagine they’re pulling readings from several other points around the chassis too, aren't they? It all seems like an incredible way to fine-tune the aerodynamics and really get a handle on how the air is behaving.

McLaren was just stalling out 😬

http://www.f1racing.com/index.php..._from=&ucat=2&

I’ve gotta say, the way Williams laid out their car this year—it’s easily the most stunning thing on the grid. Honestly, I think McLaren’s aesthetic is just as sharp too. Not that looks are everything, obviously, because at the end of the day, performance is what actually matters🧐(though let’s be real, speed is everything🤷).
The absolute eyesore has to be General Motors, which somehow managed to cram every single color in the visible spectrum onto one car😁🤮
But if you're asking me which one I'm pulling for, it's Ferrari, hands down; there's just nothing quite like that flashy, pimp red they run😉

Raymond Ortiz89 said:The McLaren engine cut out 😬

http://www.f1racing.com/index.php..._from=&ucat=2&

Wait, it actually died?!

Honestly, I’d have preferred if it just went up in flames. 😈

Frank Collins85 said:Wait, did it just stall out?!

Honestly, I’d much rather see the damn thing catch fire 😈
than deal with this kind of stalling nonsense.

👍 I'm right there with you,

The rain ended up washing out today's practice session over in Miami—take a look at the bottom ticker on your screen if you want to see the details 🤣🤣🤣

High quality video from this week's testing in Miami. For anyone wanting a look at how the cars handle the circuit—most of this was shot on Wednesday when the weather was absolutely perfect.

The track looks incredible; it really follows the natural terrain, so you get some seriously steep sections...